Finding Andy Lister
by 554Laura
Summary: Set in Season 6 After Bikini in the Soup, so no Hannah here. Who is the real inspiration for the character of Agent Andy Lister? Mostly fluff with a small sprinkling of angst, this diverges slightly from the show's time line. And, amazingly enough, I still don't own Bones.
1. Chapter 1 Dateless

It was the middle of February, and the Jeffersonian President's Day Gala was fast approaching. Seeley Booth rolled his eyes and shook his head just thinking about it. It was crazy...what kind of organization has a fancy party for President's Day, anyway? And it was going to be held the weekend after President's Day, for Christ's sake. However, the museum was named after a president, so what better thing to do than have a formal dance to honor presidents? He heaved a deep sigh. Booth was looking forward to attending the gala in much the same way as he looked forward to having a root canal.

Normally he enjoyed going to the Jeffersonian parties and dances, especially if he was in the company of a beautiful woman. Hannah had gone with him to the Jeffersonian Winter Ball, but she'd left a couple of months ago. Booth had thought about asking Bones if they could go to the President's Day Gala together, just as friends. After all, they'd spent St. Valentine's Day evening shooting Tommy guns at the gun range, and both of them had enjoyed it a lot. It was fun for them to spend time with each other like that. However, he thought better of it, remembering how annoyed she'd been when prospective dates had called her at the last minute on Valentine's Day. It was really close to the event...probably too late to ask her, and things were still a bit awkward between them. It might be weird to show up together at an event like that, and anyway, since she didn't mention it to him, she probably already had a date. Dr. Byers had moved to Florida, and he couldn't think of anyone else to ask. Truth be told, he didn't want to go with anyone but Bones, so Booth faced the prospect of going to the Gala alone. Okay, he wouldn't be totally alone. He could sit at a table with Cam and Paul, or Angela and Hodgins, but that would be small consolation when he watched Bones and her date having fun together, especially if her date turned out to be that jackass Hacker.

Deputy Director Hacker had called Booth into his office to make sure that Booth knew he was expected to attend the Gala as the FBI Liaison. Or so he said...Booth knew gloating when he saw it. It was obvious that Hacker assumed he was going to the Gala with Bones, and he couldn't wait to let Booth know that he'd been replaced in Dr. Brennan's affections.

"I wanted to let you know that the security for the Gala has been contracted to an outside company, Booth, so you and your date can enjoy a carefree evening of dining and dancing." The Deputy Director handed a file to Booth.

Booth glanced at the file and laid it aside, wondering if Hacker knew he didn't have a date yet. "Thanks, Boss. I'm looking forward to it." A lie, but he wasn't going to let Hacker know what was going on.

"I'm looking forward to spending the evening with Temperance. She's such an amazing woman." The double entendre was obvious...Hacker wasn't just interested in her intellect.

"That's great. Hey, I gotta go...I've got a meeting…" Booth rose to leave.

"I really feel like Temperance and I have so much in common, Booth. We're both at the top of our professions, we're intelligent, we like the same kind of music. I'm very glad you introduced me to her, but I have to say that I'm really surprised you could work with someone like her and just be professional partners. After all, she is an exceptionally beautiful woman, don't you think?"

The smug expression on Hacker's face told Booth that Hacker had known all along that Booth had wanted to be more than work partners with Bones...a lot more. Hacker knew he was in love with her. Booth jammed his hands in his pockets, trying to keep from forcibly wiping the smile from Hacker's face.

Hacker continued in his smarmy voice. "But you have that new girlfriend, right? What's her name? Oh yes, Hannah, right?"

The sorry son of a bitch grinned like the big ugly ape he was. Of course Hacker knew Hannah was out of the picture, and he probably knew why. He just wanted to stick it to Booth...stick it in his gut and twist...he had a date with Temperance and Booth had to go stag to the Gala. Hacker was going to relish finally being better at something than Booth was. He knew he had something that Booth had wanted for a long time.

Booth refused to take the bait. "Actually, sir, Hannah and I are no longer a couple. She left for London several weeks ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Booth. I hope you'll be able to find someone to accompany you to the Gala." Hacker nodded and pretended to look sympathetic.

"Yeah, well, I'm still working on that, but I'm not too worried about it. See ya later, Boss." Booth pasted on a fake grin and left as soon as he could.

"Great...just great.", Booth thought. "How humiliating is that? Not only do I not have a date, I have to watch Hacker drool over Bones." The thought of seeing them together made him nauseated. But he knew had no choice...as the FBI liaison he had to attend...he had to at least make an appearance. He also knew he was now in the middle of facing the terrible consequences for a year of making stupid choices. Bones had moved on to Hacker and he was really alone. Time to bite the bullet, man up, and rent the tuxedo...

ooooooooo

Booth stood at the entrance to the ballroom, taking in the atmosphere. The room was beautifully decorated with palm trees, tropical plants and orchids in vivid colors, as well as hundreds of twinkling lights. The theme was tropical paradise, and the tables on the sides of the dance floor were set with bright table cloths and vases holding brightly colored flowers. The buffet featured tropical fruits and exotic dishes from South America, Asia, and Africa. Several hundred people were already there, and the entertainment was in full swing. Booth smiled in spite of himself. Only at the Jeffersonian could a Gala for President's Day have a tropical theme. He walked by the buffet and snagged some fruit on skewers. Might as well make the best of a bad situation. He looked over the crowd, trying to see if Hacker was there with Bones, or if there was anyone else he knew. Finally he saw a friendly face in the crowd.

Cam waved to him, gesturing for him to join them. He made his way across the dance floor to the table where his friends were seated. He was happy they'd made room for him, but someone was missing. "Where's Bones?" Then he remembered...she had come with Hacker. They were probably dancing together right now.

Booth figured he'd make his presence known to his boss, stay a half hour, and head for home. That would fulfill his obligation and lessen his embarrassment. It was a great plan, and he was glad he'd thought of it. The first problem was finding Hacker. The second problem was trying not to choke Hacker if he was with Bones. No one from the Jeffersonian had seen Brennan yet. "Wonderful", Booth snarked. "What a night for them to be fashionably late." He fidgeted with his glass and then his bow tie, trying to decide how much longer to stay, when he saw Bones standing on the opposite end of the dance floor.

She looked radiant. Her dress was iridescent blue, shot with silver threads, and the low cut bodice was studded with silver beading. Her hair was swept up to the side in loose waves, and her diamond earrings sparkled against her ivory skin. Booth was entranced...he knew he'd seen that dress before, but he'd never noticed how gorgeous she looked in it. And the best part was that she was alone….no sign of Hacker. He rose and started across the dance floor towards her….and was stunned to see the handsome man who joined her. She was apparently quite happy to see the guy….this evidently was her date. He was a much better looking guy than Hacker….and a kick in the groin to Booth.


	2. Chapter 2 The Problem

Brennan sat on the couch with her laptop perched on her knees, trying to work on her next book without much success. She was distracted, thinking about the recent St. Valentine's Day evening she'd enjoyed with Booth. Brennan was relieved to discover that they were finally becoming comfortable with each other again. She smiled to herself as she tried again to type the next paragraph of her book. She was glad that Booth had heard her turn down the prospective dates who had called her that day while they were working the case. The fact that they had called on short notice was just an excuse...she really just wanted to spend time with Booth.

She was also pleased that she had remembered him saying how much he liked old movies that starred the actors James Cagney and Edward G. Robinson. That made taking the Thompson Machine Guns to the shooting range an easy choice. She sighed happily when she remembered the surprised but pleased look on Booth's face when he opened the gun cases, and how he laughed like a small boy when he shot up the paper hearts. She wanted to see that expression again soon…

Her phone chimed to remind her to check her calendar. Seeing the entry on the calendar she sighed and rolled her eyes. The President's Day Gala was next weekend. Brennan grimaced at the thought of attending yet another tedious soiree. She could never understand why the wealthy patrons of the museum found it so enjoyable to spend the evening in ball gowns and tuxedos just so they could talk to an actual scientist. If these patrons wanted to talk to a scientist why didn't they come to the lab? But she knew the answer. These people didn't want to see the reality of the difficult, ugly, and sometimes dangerous work that was accomplished in the lab. The patrons just wanted to boast about knowing someone who did that sort of work, and they were willing to pay quite a bit of money for that privilege. Brennan knew she had no recourse...she was required to attend these events as a condition of her employment.

She saved what little she had written and shut down her computer. Walking into her bedroom she opened her closet so she could decide what to wear to this dreaded event. She had a full week of work ahead of her, and there wasn't really time to shop for anything new. After pulling out several dresses, and deciding against all of them, she remembered the blue gown that she'd hidden in the back of the closet.

Angela had helped her pick out the dress for the Jeffersonian Winter Ball. At first, Brennan had objected, claiming that it would make her look like the ice princess in that animated video her nieces watched constantly. However, when she tried it on, she was thrilled. The color was exceptional against her complexion and the fit was perfect. Angela insisted that Brennan looked stunning, and that she would turn heads when she wore it to the event.

Brennan smiled sadly as she held the dress up to herself and glanced in the mirror.. She had turned the heads of everyone at the Winter Ball except the man she cared about the most. Booth was too enraptured with Hannah to notice anyone else that night. Brennan had pretended she didn't care that he barely acknowledged her, but the memory was still painful. She looked at herself in the mirror again, deciding it was silly to attach memories and emotions to an article of clothing. It was a beautiful dress, and she would wear it again for the President's Day Gala.

oooooooooo

Brennan was scowling at the email on her computer the next morning when Angela came in to her office..

"Hey, Sweetie...what's with the gloomy face? Bad news from your publisher?" Angela sat down and waited for an answer. "Honestly, Brennan...you look like you could strangle someone. What's the problem?"

"Deputy Director Hacker." Brennan growled as she turned to Angela. "He is the most boring, bull-headed, and obnoxious person I've ever met." She grimaced and turned back to her keyboard. "He's also quite stupid. I've tried several different ways to make him understand that I am not interested in pursuing any sort of romantic relationship with him but he refuses to give up the idea. He sent me an email this morning wanting to know what time he should arrive at my apartment Saturday evening so we can go to the Gala together."

Angela rolled her eyes. She often wondered why her brilliant friend had so many problems understanding how to handle relationships. "Brennan...that's no big deal. Just tell him you already have a date. He should be able to figure out what that means."

"But I don't already have a date, Angela. What if he comes to the Gala and sees me alone? He'll know I lied to him."

"Well, who cares if you lie to him? You don't even like him, so it doesn't matter what he thinks, does it?" Angela paused for a minute as a different idea popped into her head. "There is another solution, Brennan. Get a real date."

Brennan shook her head. "It's much too close to the day of the event for anyone to be able to obtain the appropriate attire without having to pay an exorbitant amount of money. Maybe I should just go with Andrew….."

Angela wasn't giving up that easily. "What about Booth? I guess he already has a tux rented since he has to go to the Gala for the FBI, and I bet he doesn't have a date. Call him and find out, Sweetie. I think he'd be thrilled to go with you."

Brennan blushed slightly as she pretended to concentrate on her computer monitor. "I don't think that's appropriate, is it, Angela? He only broke up with Hannah a few months ago."

"What do you mean, appropriate? It's not like someone died or anything like that. Besides, when I talked to Booth on Valentine's Day he said he was completely over her, and I believe him. Didn't you guys hang out together on Valentine's evening?" Angela gazed at her friend intently. "Are you saying you don't want to go with Booth? I thought you had feelings for him."

"You talked to Booth on Valentine's Day?" Brennan's expression showed she was curious about the conversation, but she decided not to pursue it further. "Angela, I'm not sure it's a good idea. We're just now starting to feel relaxed around each other again. I don't want to do anything to hinder that." Brennan turned to face Angela again. "I have many intense feelings for Booth...you know that...but I'm not sure he reciprocates those feelings. If I asked him to go with me, and he said no….I would find that heart crushing."

"I'm pretty sure he'd say yes, Sweetie…" Angela couldn't imagine that Booth wouldn't jump at the chance to go to the Gala with Brennan.

"There...I just sent Andrew a message saying that he needn't pick me up because I'll only be staying a short time. I'll just go for a half hour or so...long enough for Cam to see me shake some hands, and then I'll leave. That should satisfy my obligation."

"Brennan, come on...just call Booth."

Brennan picked up some files and rose from her chair, indicating that the discussion was over. "I have work to do, Angela. Thanks for your help. I think my issue with Hacker is solved."

oooooooooo

Brennan stood at the edge of the dance floor of the Jeffersonian ballroom, contemplating the decor. She spent a few minutes trying to ascertain the connection between President's Day and the tropical theme that had determined the choice of food and table settings, but coming up with none, she decided just to enjoy the beauty of the arrangements. She scanned the large crowd, looking for Angela and Hodgins, when she saw Booth sitting at a table across the room.

She had always appreciated how wonderful Booth looked in a tuxedo. The tailoring of a tuxedo jacket usually accentuated his very attractive shoulder to hip ratio and large muscular arms, especially when his crisp white shirt was fitted correctly. His handsome tanned face was shown to excellent advantage against the snowy shirt, and the bow tie put focus on his masculine jaw. She stood for a few seconds admiring just how attractive Booth was when she heard someone approaching from behind her.

"Tempe! Is it really you?" A handsome man moved to embrace her.

She turned to face the man who was speaking and didn't see Booth walking toward her across the dance floor. "Greg? What are you doing here?" She laughed and fell into the man's embrace. "Oh, Greg...I'm so happy to see you!"


	3. Chapter 3 Gala

Booth was about halfway across the dance floor, on his way to where Bones had been standing by herself, when he saw her greet the man who had joined her. The good news, if there was any, was that the guy wasn't Hacker. The bad news, and there was plenty of that, was that Bones seemed extremely happy to see this guy, and he seemed extremely happy to see her. Then it hit Booth like a ton of bricks. The reason Bones hadn't said anything about coming to the Gala together was because she already had a date lined up. This was a surprise...normally if Bones had a date, she'd tell him, whether he wanted to know or not, but after watching the two of them together, that seemed to be the only logical explanation.

In sizing up his competition, Booth had to admit this new guy was someone most women would consider good looking, especially if they liked tall, muscular men with thick black hair, bright blue eyes, a nice tan, and a great smile. Booth, on the other hand, couldn't stand the sight of him. After the initial shock of seeing this man hug Bones and the subsequent wave of hatred that washed over Booth, it occurred to him that he didn't even know who this guy was. This was someone he'd never met before, and he'd probably need to run a background check on this new fella the next chance he got so he could make sure the guy was okay for Bones to date. For the time being, however, Booth knew he'd have to be content to make sure the guy acted like a gentleman around Bones.

It also occurred to Booth that he was standing by himself in the middle of the dance floor with couples dancing all around him. He turned to go back to the relative safety of his table and ran squarely into Deputy Director Hacker, who appeared to be particularly forlorn as he gazed towards Bones.

"Well, Booth….it seems like I've been replaced." Hacker looked over at Brennan and her friend, sadly shaking his head.

"Jeez, Boss...that's too bad." It was all Booth could do to keep from laughing out loud, in spite of the fact that Bones was at the Gala with someone else. It was almost worth it to see the look on Hacker's face. "Well, remember...I told you she does what she wants, and that's what makes her who she is."

"You're right, Booth...you did tell me that." Hacker sighed sadly. "Well, I'm glad to see you here this evening….I won't keep you from your date. Good night."

"Good night, sir." Booth waited while Hacker walked off and turned to see Bones and her friend walking toward the table where he had been sitting. He beat a hasty retreat to get there before them. He wanted to look like he was in control of his emotions. He would act cool, calm and unconcerned about the new guy with Bones.

ooooooooo

Brennan beamed happily at her new companion. "I'm quite glad to see you, Greg, but I admit to being surprised that you're here at the Jeffersonian's Presidents' Day Gala in DC. Don't you live in New York City now?"

Greg smiled broadly, showing off perfect white teeth. He winked as he shook his finger at Brennan. "Well, Missy, I'll have you know that my company is providing the security for this little bash. We outbid several competitors. I was here in town to make sure all the arrangements were as specified in the contract and thought I'd stay to see you, since I assumed you'd be here tonight. I gotta say, Tempe...you look wonderful. That dress is quite becoming on you."

Brennan blushed a bit as she smoothed her dress. "Thanks, Greg. I'm glad your company is so successful. So you've had no trouble transitioning from your other job?"

"Starting my own company was a bit of a risk, but I knew with my skill set that I'd be able to pick up some high end clients fairly quickly, and once I was established with them I'd get some good recommendations. We've already done security for several major events on the East Coast, and I bid some events back in our old stomping grounds as well."

Greg looked over in the direction where Angela and Hodgins were sitting. Angela was waving frantically trying to get their attention. "Is that woman waving at us, Tempe?"

Brennan turned to see the wild look on Angela's face as she pointed at Booth when he wasn't looking. Booth, for his part, looked like he could put his fist through a brick wall as he watched Brennan chat with Greg. "Oh, those are my friends from the lab. I guess they want us to join them, if you don't mind. Where's Kelly, by the way?" They started walking toward the table.

Greg laughed heartily. "Oh, you know Kelly...happily munching away on all the fun things from the buffet. Hey, would you like to dance before we join your friends?"

Brennan glanced toward the buffet tables. "Will Kelly mind? I don't want to cause trouble."

"No...we have a great relationship. I can dance with every beautiful woman in the place if I want, and Kelly will be fine with it. Come on...they're playing our song. Remember the formal?"

Strains of _Kiss from a Rose_ started to waft through the air. Chuckling softly, Greg pulled Brennan close and they blissfully took a slow spin around the dance floor.

oooooooooo

Booth glanced at his watch. His plan had been a success. He'd made his presence known to Hacker, and he'd stayed the full 30 minutes he had allotted for the evening. He could go home, get out of the monkey suit, and get ready to watch the Flyers on television. He nodded to himself. That's just exactly what he'd do...get out the six pack, put his feet up, and relax. It was time to go watch the hockey game, except for one minor detail...Bones was happily chatting with a man Booth didn't know. He knew he wouldn't be able to relax at home until he knew who this joker was and what his intentions were towards Bones...and depending on what those intentions were, he knew he might not be above asking the joker politely to go to hell and leave his woman alone. Booth smiled ruefully to himself. Yeah, that'd work...Bones would be really happy about that, wouldn't she? She'd kick him in the balls so hard they'd be up between his shoulders and tell him to mind his own damn business….that's how happy she'd be.

Pretending to be engrossed in Hodgins' description of the mating cycle of the dermestid beetle, Booth tried to act casual as Bones and her date approached the table, but he failed miserably. As he turned to greet them, she caught his eye and smiled at him, making his heart pound uncontrollably. He could feel his ears turning red. So much for calm, cool and unconcerned.

"Hello, Booth. Are you enjoying the Gala? The musical selections are exceptional." Brennan spoke softly as she put her hand on his shoulder. "I find I'm enjoying myself tremendously."

"Yeah, it's fine, I guess." He turned in his seat and flashed a grin her way. "I gotta say, Bones….you look….really hot….. I mean, you look really great. That dress….it looks…and it fits…" He gestured towards his chest with cupped hands... "yeah…..wow. I mean, you know, you always look good, but jeez, it's really, really….it's nice..."

Booth clenched his jaw, realizing he wasn't making much sense. He had really wanted to be cool and suave in front of the new guy. He wanted to be Sean Connery as James Bond, and instead he was being Jerry Lewis as the Nutty Professor. It didn't help that Bones' new buddy looked like he was trying to keep from laughing out loud at Booth's stammering answer. Irritated, he exhaled slowly and tried again.

"I think you look very beautiful tonight, Bones. I really like your dress." Judging from her smile and the way her sparkling eyes sought his, Booth figured he had finally said the right thing. He smiled back. "Hey, Bones...wanna dance?"

She nodded. "Yes, I'd like to dance with you, Booth, but first I'd like to make introductions." She cleared her throat to get the attention of her friends as they chatted away. They all turned and looked at her expectantly.

"Everyone….", she began, looking around the table, "I'd like you to meet a special friend of mine from my college days." She grinned at the man standing next to her. "This is Greg Hamilton. Greg is very important to me, and to my success as an author." She paused a bit, glancing at Booth, wondering how he would react to her next statement.

"Greg was the inspiration for Agent Andy Lister."


	4. Chapter 4 Old Friends

It was like watching a tennis match. Cam, Paul, Angela, and Hodgins looked at Greg, then at Booth, and back to Greg. Mouths gaping, they looked back at Booth to see what his reaction would be. He seemed surprisingly calm. Then they looked at Brennan, trying to decide if she was joking, only to realize this wasn't really her type of joke. So they looked at Greg to see his reaction, and then back at Booth, who sat stoically looking at his fingernails.

After a few seconds of looks passed around the table, Brennan began to offer an explanation. She winked at Greg. "I know I've told all of you that Agent Andy Lister is a completely fictional character, but I have to admit now that Greg is largely responsible for many of the attributes of that character."

"Sweetie…" Angela glanced at Brennan and then at Booth, trying to get a read on what Booth was feeling and hoping Brennan would take the hint, but to no avail. Booth had deployed his best poker face. "Really, Brennan, maybe you could tell us later, okay?"

"Oh, I feel confident that Greg won't mind, will you?" Brennan looked at him to get his approval.

He shook his head slowly and smiled. "I don't mind at all. Go right ahead, Tempe."

"Greg and I were at Northwestern together. We were both in the Honors program…."

Booth finally spoke up. He thought he was being calm, but he couldn't hide the irritation in his voice. "Didn't Agent Andy graduate from Harvard?", he growled as he crossed his arms across his chest and gave Greg his best interrogator stare. Greg pretended not to notice. He knew a jealous lover when he saw one, and the angry man sitting next to him was a prime example. The guy definitely had a thing for Temperance...

Greg smiled bashfully and shrugged. "I did graduate work at Harvard in foreign languages." He fidgeted with the tablecloth as he explained. "I have doctorates in Romance languages and Semitic Languages, and a Master's degree in Asian studies and in African studies."

Brennan smiled proudly as she gestured toward her friend again. "He speaks seven different languages fluently….all of the languages that are used at the United Nations and also German, correct?" She turned toward her friend. "And what was it you said...You can get by in several others?"

"Well, actually, I can speak nine languages fluently now...I picked up Swahili and Hindi since I saw you last, Temperance." Greg was almost apologetic. "I can make myself understood in Hebrew, Farsi, Icelandic and a few others, but I'm still far from proficient in Welsh, Gaelic and Bantu." He smiled at the people sitting across from him. "Learning foreign languages is kind of my hobby."

Booth sighed to himself. His hobby was fixing beat up old cars, and the only foreign languages he knew were a bit of Spanish, some Philly slang, and the whole collection of hockey swear words. No wonder Bones thought this guy was so great….not only was he good-looking, he was a genius just like she was.

"That hobby came in handy when you worked for the UN, didn't it, Greg?", Brennan asked, patting him on the shoulder.

Booth turned his attention back to the conversation going on around him. "The UN?" Booth was suddenly interested. "Did you work as a translator?" Booth knew by the way Greg carried himself he was more than a translator, but he wanted to see if he'd get the whole story. Greg walked like a soldier who had received special forces training...light on his feet and quiet.

The way Greg paused and stared at Booth said it all. Covert Ops...Greg was involved in things for the UN peacekeeping forces that were off the record. "Not really. Let's just say I undertook several special projects for the United Nations in various parts of the world. Unfortunately, most of the records of those projects were lost in a fire." A flash of recognition crossed Greg's face. He knew that Booth understood what he meant.

Booth responded with a tacit nod, gaining a new respect for Greg. While a sniper, Booth had been involved in similar special projects with records being lost in a similar fashion. Interesting…Greg would definitely be someone the FBI or CIA would be interested in hiring. He glanced over at Bones, and couldn't help feeling proud of her. She had done a good job of choosing a model for her character.

Brennan continued, chuckling as she spoke. "You weren't an Olympic boxer, though, were you…?"

Greg laughed. "No...Golden Gloves as a boy, but no Olympics. I decided that I hated getting my nose broken." He rubbed the bridge of his nose and made a face, causing everyone at the table to laugh, even Booth.

Booth sat quietly, listening to Greg answer questions from Cam and Hodgins about his career with the UN. He avoided answering most questions directly. He'd obviously been trained on how to deal with various methods of interrogation.

Booth cast a wary eye toward towards his rival, acknowledging to himself that he could understand why Bones would find him to be very attractive. He was intelligent and evidently brave, and a character based on him would be interesting for readers, especially when paired with the character based on Bones.

Booth spoke up again. "So, Greg...were you trained as a Ranger?" He watched to see what the other man's reaction was the question. He noticed the slight hesitation before Greg answered, and knew exactly what it meant. Greg most likely had been trained off the record also...

"I can't really discuss that here...I will say that I've been trained in Israeli hand to hand combat, and I'm quite adept at several kinds of martial arts."

Booth knew what that meant as well. If not a sniper, Greg was a guerilla warfare specialist. Probably sent in to clean up loose ends. That made sense.

"Greg has his own security business. His company provided security for tonight's event." Bones looked indulgently at her friend, pleased with his success.

A security business would provide excellent cover for a covert operative. He could travel almost anywhere in the world with that story and no one would suspect a thing. Booth made eye contact briefly with Greg and got a silent confirmation.

Now that Booth knew who Greg really was, he understood why Bones had chosen this man to be the blueprint for Agent Andy Lister. Still, it was hard for him to grasp the idea after all the years of believing he was the one Bones had used as a standard. After reading the first novel Bones had written, Booth had convinced himself that she had patterned the character after him, but now it seemed he had been incorrect. He couldn't figure out exactly how he felt about this new turn of events. It was somewhat similar to the feeling he remembered from childhood when he found out who Santa Claus really was. Disappointment and sadness welled up in him unexpectedly, and for a minute he was afraid he might shed a few tears. It was silly, really...why should this upset him? He was being oversensitive. It was just a character in a book, right?

Except it was more than that. Thinking that he was the basis for Andy Lister had made him feel that he had a closeness with Bones that other people didn't have. He had hoped he was special to her because she had chosen him to be the basis for a character in her best selling series of novels. Now it seemed she didn't think of him as being that special after all. Booth felt like he had lost some sort of intimate connection with Bones, but he couldn't name just what it was.

He glanced around the table, feeling awkward, wondering what the others thought of the situation. They seemed oblivious of what he was feeling, except for Angela, who looked at him and grimaced slightly. She seemed to understand the emotions swirling inside of him.

Booth sighed sadly as he watched Bones laughing and talking with her old friend. She seemed very fond of him. She patted Greg affectionately on the knee, laughing as she remembered something that had happened when they were at Northwestern, using words with four and five syllables to describe the time they had chased a lab rat that had escaped. So this was it. She liked this new guy a lot, and he was the real Agent Andy. They'd probably be replaying some of the sexy scenes from one of the novels this evening, and maybe inventing new ones. Booth mentally kicked himself again for his stupid choices. All he really wanted was for his Bones to be happy. If Greg made her happy, he'd get out of the way. Time to call it a night….

Brennan glanced across the table, trying to sense Booth's mood. She had hesitated about telling her friends about Greg's role in her life, but in the end she couldn't come up with a logical reason not to do so. She'd explain everything to Booth later...how he had influenced her also, but she wanted to give Greg the credit he deserved while he was here to receive it. Then she realized, much to her dismay, that Booth was getting ready to leave.

"I'm gonna call it a night. I'll see you guys later." Booth stood up and stretched a bit.

"Booth, you can't leave yet. You asked me to dance with you, remember?"

"Yeah, but you're busy. Maybe next time, Bones." He turned to leave, but Greg put his hand out to stop him.

"Please don't leave on my account. We're just catching up on old times." A smile broke across Greg's face as he looked past Booth. "Oh, there you are. Finally! I was wondering where you'd wandered off to…"

Another man was walking over to the table carrying a plate loaded with food. "Well, Greg, you know how I love buffets, and the one here this evening is spectacular." The man ate a bite from his plate. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?"

"Of course." Greg smiled as he turned back to the group sitting at the table and gestured toward them. "You remember Tempe, of course, and these are Tempe's friends from the Jeffersonian lab. I'd like all of you to meet my husband, Kelly."


	5. Chapter 5 An Enchanted Evening

Booth was sure he was in Heaven. There was no other explanation for what he was feeling. It was perfect...Just perfect. Music was playing softly in the background. Bones was wearing a beautiful dress, and he was dancing with her. One of his hands was resting gently in the small of her back where it had always belonged, and his other hand was holding her delicate fingers close to his chest, next to his heart. They gently swayed together on a nearly empty dance floor.

"Booth…." Bones whispered, pulling away slightly.

"Hmmm?" He pulled her closer as the music swelled, pressing his cheek against her temple.

"I want to tell you something." Brennan looked up at Booth, studying him carefully, trying to decide if he was in the mood to listen to her.

He looked into her beautiful blue eyes and felt his stomach do a flip again. "Shhh…..Not right now, Bones. I want to just enjoy this moment dancing with you, okay?" He closed his eyes and smiled. "We can talk in a little while." He was enjoying her soft scent, the warmth of her body next to his, the feeling of her curves against him, the delicate tenderness of her skin….he prayed that the music would never end.

Finally, however, the music did end and the Gala ended as well. Angela and Hodgins had said their goodbyes a few hours ago, and Cam and Paul left soon after that. Greg and Kelly had excused themselves to monitor the security of the facility. Booth and Brennan had spent the rest of the evening dancing and laughing together. It seemed as if they had finally found their way back to each other, and neither of them were ready for the evening to be over.

They left the ballroom and walked out into the cool night air. Booth cocked his head toward her. "Okay, Bones...what was it you wanted to tell me?"

She was shivering nervously under her wrap as she stepped closer to him. "I wanted to explain about Greg being Agent Andy, Booth….there's more to the situation than what I told you earlier…"

Booth turned away from her, his demeanor changing. "Not tonight, Bones, okay? Please? I had a lot of fun dancing with you this evening, but I'm beat. Maybe in a couple of days, alright?" He hailed a taxi. "Hey, wanna share a cab?"

She nodded, biting the inside of her lip nervously. "Of course." Brennan had noticed the slight change in Booth's voice. She was unsure about how his being tired would affect how he listened to what she had to say, but she decided it could wait a day or two. They chatted quietly as they rode to Brennan's apartment building, but Brennan sensed that something was different. Booth's mood made her wonder if perhaps he was jealous of Greg. Surely not…that wouldn't be rational, especially since Greg was married. Then she laughed quietly to herself. It wouldn't be rational, but it would be just like Booth.

Booth asked the cabbie to wait as he walked Brennan up to her apartment. When she unlocked the door she turned and smiled her thanks. "Would you like to come in for a drink?" She stood with the door slightly ajar, beckoning him to come inside.

Booth's heart fluttered a bit. She was gorgeous, an absolute dream, but….he hesitated before stammering out his answer. "Nah...I got the cab waiting, you know? And, like I said...I'm beat." Was he imagining that she looked disappointed? "Some other time?"

Her eyes were downcast as she nodded slightly, chewing her lower lip. "That's okay. I understand. I'll talk to you tomorrow afternoon, okay, Booth? Call me."

Maybe she was disappointed... "Yeah, sure….tomorrow afternoon. Hey, thanks for dancing with me tonight, Bones. I had a great time. G'night."

"I had a wonderful evening as well, Booth. Good night to you, too."

His eyes lingered on her face for several seconds before he turned and walked quickly away, leaving her to wonder what was going on in his extremely illogical and complicated brain.

oooooooooo

Grumbling to himself, Booth flipped on the light in his bedroom and threw the tuxedo jacket on a chair. He tossed the pants, shirt, and tie in a heap on top of the jacket, and went into the bathroom to wash up. He studied his reflection in the mirror.

"You're a coward, Booth, you know that? You know you shoulda kissed her. She was expecting it...and you wanted to...but you were just plain scared." He shook off the water and reached for his towel, trying to rub the memory of those few seconds out of his mind. Bones was standing in front of her door, beautiful in that low cut blue dress, her eyelashes fluttering at him, her skin slightly flushed...she looked like Cinderella, and he wanted so badly to be her Prince Charming…

However, even though he hated to admit it, Booth knew Sweets was right….one kiss, and there'd be no stopping for logic or rationality, or to come up for air. He would've forgotten about having the cabbie waiting downstairs. The beautiful blue dress would be history, because Booth would've been in her apartment, tearing it off of her, pinning her against the front door as he kissed her and made crazy love to her….

"Okay...breathe...that's enough, big guy...not tonight." Booth was having a difficult time controlling his emotions and his body's responses to those emotions. He took a deep breath as he walked into his kitchen to get a beer. He needed to concentrate on something other than Bones if he ever hoped to go to sleep. He slouched over to the sofa. "I know….Greg….let's figure out the deal with Greg…

oooooooooo

Greg was a conundrum, and Booth had been trying to figure out the puzzle off and on all evening. Here was a guy who sounded like a college professor, even though he was actually a mercenary involved in all sorts of questionable affairs in remote places all over the earth. Based on what Booth had interpreted from Greg's conversation and body language, he had been involved in some pretty shady stuff while running his security company as a cover. It crossed Booth's mind to ask Bones what she really knew about Greg's 'other' job, but he decided the less said the better for all concerned. Greg was not a guy to be messed with, but there was no reason to take chances and possibly blow his cover.

After pondering over Greg's connection to Bones, Booth finally decided that it really wasn't a big deal that the guy was the model for Andy Lister. He chuckled to himself as he imagined what Sweets would think about the whole thing. Sweets would have some stupid ideas about Booth's lack of self esteem and lack of self confidence, relating it to some childhood trauma, and he'd want Booth to 'own those feelings" so he could move on. Whatever... He'd want to spend hours analyzing all of the 'nuances and layers of this new conflict between the partners'. Well, to hell with it. The past was the past. It couldn't be changed. It wasn't worth worrying about any more, except for one thing...

There was one small detail that still remained unexplained in Booth's mind when it came to the explanation that Greg had been the inspiration for Andy Lister, and it bugged him. While Booth was unconcerned about Greg's sexual orientation, the fact remained that in the books Andy Lister was definitely heterosexual. Throughout the series Agent Andy and Kathy were heterosexual together quite frequently and in a wide variety of settings.

Booth leaned back on the sofa and took a drink from his beer bottle, thinking about Kathy and Andy's history together. It was true that it took a couple of books before Andy and Kathy got together as a couple, and from that point on there had been multiple sex scenes in every book. Booth always found those scenes extremely seductive, especially since he knew they were written by Bones. He knew that Angela might have put some of the finishing touches on those sections, but it seemed that Bones came up with the initial ideas, perhaps using her knowledge of kinesiology and how the human body could actually move during sex. The idea that her imagination could concoct the sexual images in those scenes was something he found to be very provocative...and very stimulating.

It wasn't just the mechanics between Kathy and Andy that Booth found fascinating….there was something else that impressed him. Bones seemed to have figured out exactly what his sexual fantasies were, down to the smallest detail. It was like she had read the dirtier parts of his mind. He'd had fantasies from time to time about himself and Bones in the back seat of that little silver sports car she used to drive, and then he read about Kathy and Andy doing the same thing in their sports car. He'd dreamed of having passionate, imaginative sex with Bones in the darkest corner in the Jeffersonian basement among the Gormogon artifacts, and it showed up in one of her books. The FBI interrogation room, the armory, the Egyptian wing of the museum, the lab table, Bones' office...even a bit of pony play. The intimate scenes that happened in those places were incredibly erotic. She'd written very intense, very explicit sex scenes just like she knew exactly what he'd been thinking about the entire time he was standing there next to her, and he wanted to know how she did it.

She even knew about the cable car in the Alps swinging in rhythm with Kathy and Andy as they had sex suspended hundreds of feet in the air over the mountains. Booth wondered how Bones had known about that one...he was pretty sure he'd kept that one to himself, and he almost fell of his chair when he read it in the last book.

"And let's not forget page 187." Booth laughed to himself. He'd read that page over and over again trying to figure out if it was actually physically possible, only to have Bones assure him that it was. The thought of her participating in that particular maneuver with him had kept Booth awake many nights over the past several months.

"So I wonder where those parts of the books come from", Booth thought, draining his beer. "Not Greg...so who?" He was too tired to think about it any more. He got up and headed for bed, hoping that dreams of Bones would keep him company all night long.

oooooooooo

Brennan was still confused as she got ready for bed. She had been certain that Booth was going to kiss her as she stood in front of her apartment door. She thought that's why he had walked her to her apartment. But there was no kiss and he seemed flustered when he left in a hurry.

Hmmm….perhaps Angela was right. Maybe it was time to take matters into her own hands.


	6. Chapter 6 Dinner

Booth's phone rang, waking him from a nap on the couch. He fumbled around on the end table and finally found it on the fourth ring. He mumbled unconvincingly. "Booth…"

"Booth, did you forget that you were supposed to call me this afternoon?", demanded Brennan.

He exhaled slowly. "Bones, it's only three o'clock. There's plenty of afternoon left, alright? I could've waited until 5:45 and technically it would still be afternoon, you know? Anyway, what's so important that you gotta wake a guy from his nap? I was having a good dream, too." He'd been dreaming about himself as Superman and Bones as Wonder Woman….one of his all time favorites….

"I think you're right. I should've let you sleep. You sound irritable." Brennan laughed to herself, imagining Booth sitting on his couch, stretching and scratching his head. "I'll call back later when you're more rested."

"What? I am not irritable, and there's no way I'm gonna be able to go back to sleep now anyway, so what do you want?" He grinned, glad that she had called him instead of waiting for him to call her. Maybe she thought he was special after all.

Brennan pretended to be offended. "Never mind. There's not really a problem. Call me by 5:45."

"Aw, c'mon, Bones...what's up?" He knew she was teasing but decided to play along.

"I want to have macaroni and cheese for dinner, but it makes too much for just one person. Will you come over and help me eat it for dinner tonight so I don't have a lot of leftovers? And I have some Canadian beer we need to drink. It's approaching its 'best if used by' date."

"You mean the mac and cheese with pancetta and nutmeg? That sounds good."

"I also have some apples I need to use up, so I was considering an apple pie. What do you think?" She already knew the answer to that question...

"Mac and cheese, Canadian beer, and apple pie? Excellent. When should I be there?"

Brennan laughed at Booth's eagerness. "Around six? It won't be afternoon any more, but I think that's okay."

"Great. Thanks, Bones." He hung up and laughed out loud. His favorite dinner with his favorite person. What could be better? God must not have forgotten him after all.

Brennan hummed happily after Booth ended the call. Anthropology was correct. Human males were quite easily attracted by using food, alcohol, or sex. They would definitely have food and alcohol, but as far as sex...she laughed to herself again...that remained to be seen.

oooooooooo

Dinner had been a great success and the dishes were already in the dishwasher. Brennan and Booth were sitting on the couch, thoroughly relaxed, enjoying another beer and each other's company.

"I think perhaps we're finally comfortable in our partnership again, Booth." Brennan watched him as he took a drink from his beer bottle, admiring the muscles rippling under his snug tee shirt. "I'm feeling much more at ease around you now."

"Yeah, me too. That's good, isn't it? Makes it easier to do our jobs." Booth tried to concentrate on picking at the label pasted to the beer bottle instead of the big blue eyes that were watching him.

"I agree, but I've missed other parts of our partnership, too. I'm glad we're still friends. I've missed the time we used to spend together, Booth." She sighed, taking a sip of her beer.

He saw a look of sadness flit across her beautiful face, and it hurt him to the core. "We were always friends, Bones. But when Hannah was here….I guess I forgot that for few months. I promise I'll never forget it again. That whole situation was such a huge mistake, and I'm so sorry." Booth turned to look at her, giving her a small dose of sad puppy eyes. "You believe me, don't you?"

She smiled. "Yes, of course. I'm glad we've be able to reestablish the bond of trust between us. That's why it's so important that I tell you about Greg…."

"Arrgghh...so that good dinner was just bait to get me over here to listen to a sob story about some guy you used to know?" Booth pretended to pout.

Brennan smirked. "It was a bribe. I've plied you with so much food and beer you can't possibly move, right?"

"I guess." Booth grinned as he leaned back on the couch. "Okay…Let's hear it."

"As I said last night, Greg and I met in the Honors program at Northwestern. Both of us were at the top of our class, but neither of us were very comfortable at college during our freshman year. We had a lot in common: dysfunctional families, lower socio-economic level than a lot of students there, and we'd both been ostracized by our peers in high school...Greg for his sexual orientation, and me because I was a foster child. We were also shunned because we were geniuses."

Booth was surprised. "Why would anyone shun geniuses? I'd want to know you so you could help me with my class work."

"You're in the minority, Booth. Extremely intelligent people are often shunned because they are outside of society's norm. Greg and I were both outside the norm, so we bonded with each other. I suppose it was a form of defense against the rest of society."

"And you became close?"

"Yes, very close. Greg was one of the few people I knew who accepted me for exactly who I was. He didn't want to change me in any way, and he didn't ask anything of me, other than to be his friend. In that respect, Booth, he's very much like you."

Booth felt his heart skip a beat as he realized the magnitude of the compliment he'd just received. "There's nothing to change about you, Bones. You're perfect…" He paused when he noticed how intently she was listening.

Brennan blushed slightly. "Thank you, Booth...but most people don't feel that way. Most people want other people to be 'normal'." She paused briefly to gather her thoughts. "When I first conceived the idea for my book, I wanted the FBI agent character to be homosexual, like Greg, for two reasons: first, because that's who Greg is, and second, because that way Kathy wouldn't be drawn into a relationship with the agent. I wanted Kathy to remain independent and alone, just as I was."

"I bet that didn't go over well." Booth grimaced. He couldn't imagine a publisher or the FBI being happy about the premise.

"You're correct. My agent suggested that Greg should be rewritten to get my book published, so I altered his sexual orientation." She frowned suddenly. "I was too young and inexperienced to stay with my initial premise, and I regret that. I think it hurt Greg's feelings at the time, but eventually he forgave me."

"Yeah, I understand…That must have been hard for both of you."

"I still wanted Kathy to be alone, and for the first few books she was, remember? She and Lister were merely co-workers." Brennan took another drink of her beer. "Do you know why I changed that idea about Kathy, Booth? About her being alone?" Brennan looked at him intently, wondering if he'd be able to make the connection.

Booth shook his head at first, puzzled by what Brennan meant. "I don't think so…maybe because that's what the publisher wanted?" He tilted his head, looking at her quizzically.

Brennan shrugged slightly. "That was part of it, but let me explain it another way. You may not be aware of this, but Greg is like you in several ways, so in my first book, Andy Lister is a combination of the best characteristics of both you and Greg."

"Yeah, after talking to the guy, I realized we had a lot of stuff in common...besides you, I mean." Booth winked at her as he took a sip of beer. " Like the Special Ops stuff, right? We're both military?"

"That's correct. As I got to know you better...as we worked together more, I recognized many more good qualities in you and wrote them into Andy's character, and he became more like you. Andy evolved over time to have your sense of duty and honor, your need to seek justice, and your ability to understand people, as well as some of your quirks."

"Quirks? What quirks? I don't have any quirks." Booth pretended to be annoyed.

"Your gut instinct? Your superstitions? Your striped socks and gaudy ties?" Smiling, Brennan continued. "And in the books, as Andy evolved, so did Kathy in response to him. Eventually Kathy and Andy became involved with each other because…." She paused, suddenly feeling shy, unsure of what to say.

Suddenly Booth realized what Brennan had been trying to tell him. "Because you wanted us to become more involved with each other…."

Brennan noticed that he appeared quite pleased with that thought. Gaining confidence she continued.

"Yes. So even if Greg was the initial inspiration for Andy, you are the continuation of that character. Andy has become more like you with every book. So in that way, you are the basis for the character of Agent Andrew Lister as he is today."

"So Greg inspired the character…"

"But you made the character come to life, Booth."

Booth drained his beer and grinned at her. "I kinda wish you'd named him something else." He grimaced slightly. " Andy's kind of a wimpy name, and it reminds me of Hacker." Booth obviously found that image distasteful.

"Andy was the name of one of my first boyfriends, and Lister is for one of my favorite scientists, Joseph Lister.

"You mean the guy who invented Listerine?" She nodded again. "Okay, that's not too bad, I guess. So you really think Andy Lister is inspired by me on a daily basis? That's really sweet, Bones….very, very sweet. Thanks for telling me that." He reached over to hold her hand. "I feel a lot better."

"I thought you might." She moved closer to Booth, and whispered softly into his ear. "You know Kathy loves Andy, right? And he loves her. What do you think that means, Booth?"


	7. Chapter 7 Finally

"What do you think that means, Booth?" Brennan let him think things through for a few seconds before she planted a soft kiss on his cheek and snuggled next to him.

Booth was still trying to work out the puzzle. "Wait...so if Kathy is based on you, and Andy is based on me, then..." A huge grin spread across his face as he figured out what Brennan meant. "Bones….Are we….I mean, I know I...do you….we're in love with each other, right? At the same time? Together? As in you want us to be together, like a couple? Wow! Really?" He stammered and stuttered, trying to make sense of the turn of events. "So we're in love with each other...is that what you mean?"

Brennan couldn't help but laugh. "I think that is a correct assumption, Booth. Logic would seem to dictate that if our fictional alter egos are in love with each other, we also are in love with each other. Do you concur?"

"Oh, Bones…" He pulled her close and kissed her. "I definitely concur. I absolutely, 110 percent concur. Very, very happily concur." He kissed her again. "God, I'm so happy. I love you, Bones. I can't believe I get to say that out loud. Wow….I love you, Bones." He jumped up from the couch, pacing the room, chattering ecstatically. It was all he could do to keep from bouncing off the walls of her apartment.. "This is so wonderful! Jeez, Sweets is gonna have a stroke when he finds out we're finally together…." Booth was savoring the thought of how Sweets would react. "We are really together, right?" He let out a low whistle. "God, I'm such a lucky guy. I love you so much, Bones."

"I love you, too, Booth." Brennan was quite amused as she listened to Booth babble, and also quite thrilled. After all this time and all the trouble they'd had, it seemed he really did love her.

Booth sighed happily as he plopped down the couch and put his arm around Brennan's shoulders and pulled her close. "Okay, Bones...so now that we know we love each other, you gotta tell me one thing, alright?"

She sighed happily. "Of course. What do you want to know?"

Booth blushed a bit before he continued. "I want to know how you know what my fantasies are, you know? In the lovemaking department? Because all those sex scenes you've put in the books? Those are my fantasies. That's what I've been thinking about whenever I'm with you. I mean, I think about how smart you are, and how sweet you are and all that, but, you know…"

"Well, I've always thought we'd be very compatible sexually, Booth. Your physicality is exceptional, and I imagine your stamina would be quite enough to keep me satisfied for the most part."

"For the most part?" He gave her a cocky grin, winking at her. "Is that a challenge, Bones? Because you know I'm up for the challenge." He laughed as he kissed her again.

"I can see that. I like a challenge also. Perhaps we can have a contest." She arched her eyebrow and smirked at him as she moved to sit on his lap. "I'm very interested in why you think I know about your fantasies. I didn't think you liked role play." She ran her fingers gently across the tee shirt stretched across his chest. "I'd like to hear more…." She kissed him again, this time gently on the lips…."if it won't take too long. I don't want to spend the whole night talking."

"It's….uh….just that…" Booth was interrupted as Brennan kissed him again…"when I read the books...I kept thinking you knew….…"

"Knew What?" She leaned against his chest. "Please tell me quickly. I'm feeling very affectionate toward you…maybe we should continue our discussion later."

Booth assumed they'd have very little time for talking later. "Like, for example….you know the part of that book where Andy and Kathy make love in the back of the sports car?"

"Yes…", Brennan purred. "I enjoyed writing that very much...it was quite erotic...trying to figure out which position they should use in such a cramped space was challenging...but I think it turned out well, don't you?" She pulled herself closer to Booth and began kissing his jaw and neck.

He was becoming distracted. "I'd fantasized about us doing that exact same thing, Bones. I hated it when you traded that car in. Hmmm….Bones...that's nice…."

Another passionate kiss before he could continue. "And the scene in the Jeffersonian basement...and the interrogation room at the FBI with the two way mirrors where they had the quickie...and in your office….God, that one was great.…"

"I'm glad you liked those scenes. Agent Andy seems to be quite an imaginative lover, doesn't he?"

"But how did you know I'd like all those things? I don't think I told you about any of them...at least not on purpose. It's like you read my mind…Hmmm." Another kiss.

Brennan giggled as she wrapped her arms around Booth. "I didn't know those were your sexual fantasies. I wrote those because they were my sexual fantasies…Things I had thought about over the years that I might want to explore with my partner."

"Really?" Booth's voice squeaked a bit. "Page 187….you were thinking of us? And the Egyptian Wing with Meti? And even the cable car in the Alps?"

"Especially the cable car in the Alps. It seems we will be very compatible, don't you think so?"

Booth's eyes glazed over a bit as he thought about all the sexual adventures that awaited him if he were as lucky as Agent Andy. "Well….yeah…"

"So are you ready to explore some of your fantasies, Booth?" Brennan stood up and took hold of his hand. He wore a big smile as she nodded toward the bedroom.

Booth twitched his eyebrows at her suggestively. "Absolutely...maybe we can even try out a new one...what about Superman and Wonder Woman on a very bad date?"

"That sounds like fun. I love you, Booth."

"I love you, too, Bones."

oooooooooo

The alarm on Booth's phone beeped loudly on the nightstand. "Oh, man...what time is it?" He groaned loudly. "Seven AM already!" Booth tried to unwrap himself from the sheets that were tangled around them.

Brennan muttered, half asleep. "Go back to sleep, Booth...it's too early to get up." Then she rolled toward him and smiled. "On second thought...don't go back to sleep….I think I'd like to indulge in another fantasy this morning."

"I gotta go, Bones. I gotta go home to get some different clothes and go to work...it's Monday morning." He kissed her forehead. "I've got stuff to do today...reports, budget stuff…"

"Hmmm….maybe you can be a few minutes late today." She reached around his neck and pulled him close for a kiss. "Or maybe an hour or two."

Booth looked at the warm, beautiful, and affectionate woman next to him. He was so thrilled that she loved him and wanted him to be with her, and he was sorely tempted. However, he had a long term goal in mind.

"Bones...if I go in late today, I'll have to stay late to make up the time, and that'll take time from our evening. We don't have to rush things….I'd rather take my time tonight." He gave her a seductive grin. "You can think about that all day….about how we'll be making love all night…"

Brennan laughed. "You're correct, Booth...anticipation can heighten sexual pleasure." She sat up in bed, trying to untangle the sheets. "Alright...I'll allow you to go to work on time today, but you will owe me at least 3 orgasms tonight...although more would gladly be accepted." She got out of bed and walked to the closet door, conscious of the brown eyes watching every movement of her nude form. Finally she turned to face Booth. "Are you sure you have to leave right now?"

"Jesus, Bones….you're killing me here...I really have to go…." She sauntered slowly toward him and sat on the edge of the bed. "I need to leave….right now...I need….you….right now." He pulled her on top of him in the bed and grinned at her.. "I guess I'm gonna be late this morning…."

oooooooooo

Two hours later, Booth was up and dressed in his jeans and tee shirt. It was going to have to be a casual day for him at work. At least he didn't have any meetings. Maybe it was time to figure out how he could do his reports, scheduling, and budgets from home. That sounded like a plan until he watched Brennan walk into the kitchen, wearing only her tee shirt and panties as she scrounged around for her breakfast. Even bare faced and with bedhead she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Never mind….nothing would get done if he tried to work from home and she was there.

He glanced at his phone to check the time….9:30 am. "Okay...I gotta take off. I'll be in my office for the rest of the day unless we have a case. I'm gonna order in for lunch so I can make up for the time I missed this morning. Do you wanna have dinner at my place tonight? Maybe I can pick up some Thai."

"That sounds good." She grinned mischievously, leaning over his shoulder. "Perhaps I should bring a change of clothes for tomorrow in case we linger over our meal. What do you think?"

"Sounds like a plan. Maybe that way we can avoid rushing around in the morning, and we can get to work on time." Booth turned and embraced her. "You're so beautiful...God, I'm so glad I got to be here with you last night." He kissed her gently. "Listen, could you do me a favor?"

"Of course…."

"Well, it's gonna be difficult. I don't want you to say anything about us to Angela yet. She's gonna try to ferret out what happened between us this weekend, but I need to clear things with Cullen so he doesn't find out second hand. You gotta be on guard, because she's sneaky, Bones. Okay? So mum's the word."

"Mum's what word?" Brennan's forehead creased as she tried to figure out what Booth meant.

"Just be careful what you tell Angela, or everyone will know our business, and right now I want this to be just ours...at least until I see Cullen, which will probably be tomorrow. I'm not really dressed for that today. Okay? Please?" Booth flashed a high wattage charm smile.

"I suppose that's acceptable. I am disappointed, however. I find that I'm very happy about our coupling and I'd like others to know about it."

"Yeah...I want to brag about it, too, Bones, but we gotta be discreet for a day or two, okay?"

She smiled as she nodded her agreement. "Yes,I'll be discreet. I'm looking forward to dinner tonight."

Booth's phone rang. "Booth...What? Damn. Okay...be right there."

Brennan frowned as she overheard the conversation. "Is there a problem?"

Booth sighed heavily and grimaced. "I hope not…."


	8. Chapter 8 Uneasy

Booth rode the elevator up to the fourth floor, trying to figure out what was going on. He'd almost choked when Charlie called this morning. Why would Cullen be looking for Special Agent in Charge Booth first thing Monday morning? Dammit...of all the days to be late…

Life in the military had instilled a sense of order in Booth, and he hated being late to anything. Being late made the whole day seem off kilter, like he had to catch up all day. Today, however, thinking about why he was late caused a hint of a smile to appear instead of his usual gruff work expression and he walked with a slight spring in his step. He chastised himself slightly...he would have to be more responsible about being at work on time, no matter how Bones tempted him, but today...today it was like coming back from his honeymoon. He felt sure everybody who looked at him would see a man blissfully in love.

Booth got off the elevator and tried to find Charlie Burns without calling too much attention to himself. Charlie wasn't the flashiest guy in the world, but he was very reliable and extremely efficient. He also had Booth's back. Booth hoped Charlie would have time to fill him on what was going on before Cullen showed up again. He was on the phone when Booth found him, but he motioned for Booth to wait. The call ended, and Charlie turned to Booth, looking like he was going to throw up.

"What's up, Charlie? Why the panic?" After seeing Charlie so agitated, Booth was beginning to be really concerned.

"I don't know. Cullen came storming through the bullpen with Hacker trailing behind him, asking where the hell you were. I told him you had called and said you would be late but you were expected soon. Cullen turned and swore at Hacker, and told me he'd be back to find you. That's why I called...I'd thought you'd want to know." Charlie eyed Booth's tee shirt and jeans. "So are you planning to stay?"

Shit. Booth made a mental note to replenish the extra set of good clothes he kept in his office for just such an emergency. "I'm not sure what my plans are…."

"Agent Booth!" Sweets came bounding toward him like an excited St. Bernard puppy. "Agent Booth! I'd like to speak with you, please."

Wonderful. An irritated boss and a major irritation all in the same half hour. "I'm working right now, Sweets." Booth turned and walked toward his office, making sure his pace kept him slightly ahead of Sweets. He wanted to lock the younger man out, but Sweets would just stand and pound on the door. Booth groaned. Might as well let him in and get the irritation over with.

Sweets followed Booth into his office, breathless after racing to keep up with the Agent in Charge. "Booth...I wanted to ask you about the Gala."

"Okay. Yeah, it was great. The food was good, and I liked the music. Bye." Booth sat in his desk chair and turned to look through his file cabinet.

"Booth...you know what I mean...I saw the man with Dr. Brennan. I was sitting at a table with Daisy and the rest of the interns, and I saw them dancing together in an intimate fashion. Given your feelings for her….you need to be honest about the situation."

"Enough, Sweets. You don't need to tattle. I don't want to talk about it. My 'feelings' are not open for discussion." Booth smiled to himself. Maybe he'd have some fun at Sweets' expense. "I don't want to talk about Bones or any of the guys she knows."

"Booth, I know they sat at the table with you. They seemed to be very close 'friends'. Are you saying it didn't bother you that she was flirting with another man while you were sitting there watching? Aren't you worried about how that might affect your partnership?"

"Why would it bother me? It's not like we're married. Mind your own damn business."

"It is my business if it affects your work. You didn't feel the urge to be violent? I know you might feel sexually frustrated now that Hannah's gone" Sweets stood looking at Booth in disbelief.

Booth turned and glowered at Sweets. "What the hell are you talking about? Of course I wasn't violent, I'm not frustrated, and me and Bones are doing fine with our work partnership." Booth pretended to smile. "I guess you've helped me evolve, Sweets. I was a bit angry Saturday night, but when I was sitting there watching them together I thought about all the stuff you've taught me and Bones, and I calmed down."

"I'm glad I could help, Booth. I'm glad our couples' therapy has allowed you to understand how to relate to each other better and how to deal with your anger issues." Sweets beamed, obviously proud of himself for keeping Booth on the straight and narrow.

"Besides, Sweets….the guy is married...he and Bones are just old friends."

"Oh...I see." Sweets was visibly deflated.

"So, Sweets...any idea why Cullen would need to see me?" Booth watched for a reaction from Sweets, but the psychologist just shrugged.

"Nothing I know about. Hey, what's with the jeans and tee shirt? Not your usual office attire…"

"I was running late today. I gotta go...I just wanted to get some stuff so I can go back home to work…"

"AGENT BOOTH!" Director Cullen roared. "I need to speak with you immediately….my office, now!"

ooooooooo

Booth sat in the reception area outside Cullen's door, thinking of all the times he'd been sent to the principal's office as a kid. He'd been especially afraid of Sister Mary Therese and her paddle. Most of the time he could charm her...that's where he first learned the power of his charm smile. But every so often she'd give him swats for the hell of it, or so it seemed, just to keep him in line. He wondered if Cullen didn't rattle his cage every so often for the same reason.

Finally the secretary came out to where Booth was sitting. "Director Cullen will see you now."

Booth strode into the office, trying to exude the confidence he didn't feel. "What can I do for you, Sir?"

"Have a seat, Booth." Cullen gave Booth a quick once over. "Casual Day on Monday?"

"I was feeling a bit wobbly this morning...kinda weak in the knees. I decided to come in for an hour or two so I could get my papers and files. I'm going to do the budget and scheduling work at home." Not a lie...being with Bones this morning had made him wobbly and weak in the knees and it took a while for him to be able to stand up. That woman might just wear him out...but, God, it was so wonderful….

"Hmmph." Cullen saw the flicker of a lover's grin on the agent's face, and he wasn't buying it. Booth was normally too responsible to make up lame excuses...so he'd let it go for now. He had more important things to do than figure out where Booth had been all night.

The Director nodded to the man standing next to his desk. "Hacker says you may be able to help us out with something, even though it's not really under the umbrella of Major Crimes." He motioned at Hacker to begin.

"As you know, Booth, the Jeffersonian contracted a private security firm for the Gala. It was a standard operation. Sections of the museum that were open to visitors had security personnel in place, and there were security cameras in use for the whole evening."

Booth nodded. Everything seemed according to protocol. "Okay...I'll be glad to help in any way I can, but the security seemed fine."

Cullen leaned back in this chair and folded his hands. "Were you aware that Dr. Brennan suggested this particular security company to the organizers of the Gala?"

Booth began to feel uneasy. What the hell was going on? "Dr. Brennan and the owner of the company were classmates in college. I'm sure he asked her to put in a good word for him. That hardly seems to be something worth the FBI's time." Booth looked impassively at Cullen and Hacker, waiting for the next surprise.

Hacker cleared his throat and handed Booth a file. "We know that Greg Hamilton does covert ops for whoever happens to have the most money at the time. He's been on our watch list for years. His company is a cover for his mercenary activities."

"Based on the conversation I had with him Saturday night, I assumed as much. I'm still not sure what the problem is, sir." Booth bypassed Hacker and spoke to Cullen. "Is there something else I'm supposed to know? Is he a fugitive? Because so far, there seems to be nothing I can you help with."

"Hamilton isn't wanted for anything in particular. He's very talented...in and out of situations quickly, and usually it's something sanctioned by some government entity." Cullen knew Booth would understand the implications, given his own sniper experiences.

Hacker picked up another file from Cullen's desk. "The issue is Hamilton's spouse, Kelly Jones. Kelly Jones is an alias. His real name is Amir al Ghaheni, and he's a person of interest on several terrorism watch lists." There was a picture of the man Booth knew as Kelly Jones, staring back at him from a Yemeni passport photo. "The organizer of the Gala took Dr. Brennan's word that the security company was above board, and instead it's owned by a mercenary and a terrorist."

"There's no way Bones...er, Dr. Brennan would have done anything to jeopardize the security of the Jeffersonian. She hadn't seen Greg Hamilton in years. She just did him a favor because they had been close friends at one time. And just because a guy's on a watch list doesn't automatically make him a terrorist." Booth shrugged as he glared at Hacker. "It's not her fault the Jeffersonian didn't check the company out thoroughly."

Hacker handed Booth some pictures. "The top photograph is of Dr. Brennan and Greg Hamilton. This was taken from video from one of the security cameras outside of the museum. You can see that Dr. Brennan appears to be handing an envelope to Hamilton." The picture was grainy at best, and time stamped about fifteen minutes before Booth had seen her enter the ballroom.

"Okay, so what? That could be anything….hockey tickets, recipes…." Booth was becoming angry at Hacker's insinuations.

Hacker continued without looking at Booth. "The next picture was taken in one of the open sections of the museum. It shows a man who appears to be Ivan Petrovich, a known counterfeiter of passports and other identification papers. The face of the other person in the picture is hidden, but we've enhanced the photo, which is the third picture. The ring on the left hand is identical to the one 'Kelly Jones' wears, and it appears to be the same envelope that Dr. Brennan gave Hamilton."

So that's why Kelly took so long to join Greg at their table. Booth was starting to worry, but he pulled his poker face. "Appears to be? So you're basing suspicions about Dr. Brennan's relationship with these men on appearances? No way. Director Cullen, you've known Dr. Brennan for years…"

Cullen nodded. "You're right, Booth...I've known her for years, and I've almost gotten used to her, but you know yourself that she does what she wants, usually without caring what anyone else thinks." He handed Booth another file. "Then there's the issue of the large sum of money she wire-transferred into Hamilton's bank account in the Caymans."

"What?" Booth read through the bank records in the file. "How did you get Dr. Brennan's bank records without a warrant?"

"We didn't get her records, Booth. We were looking at Hamilton's records and her name came up." Cullen frowned slightly. "Look, Booth...we think there's a relatively simple explanation for all these things...probably a series of coincidences. But Homeland Security is really upset about one of our federal contractors having contact with Amir al Ghaheni and Ivan Petrovich."

Booth sat quietly for a few seconds, trying to piece together the overload of information he'd just received. "So you want me to find out how Dr. Brennan's involved and tell you, right?" Dammit. Just when things were so wonderful...something else comes along and threatens to screw it up….

"Well, Booth, we all know she can be prickly, and you have a good relationship with her. You'll have the best chance of getting information from her." Hacker was obviously not happy about that fact.

Booth inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. "Yeah, great. You have no idea… In fact, Director Cullen, there's something I need to discuss with you privately….."


	9. Chapter 9 Discretion

Brennan walked into her office quietly, hoping no one had seen her come in. Even though her contract stated she could name her own hours, she was generally in the lab by 8:30 AM in order to get as much work completed as possible during the day. That had been her norm for several years. If Angela or Cam had seen her enter the lab late today they would've had many questions about this morning's change in her routine, and she knew it would be difficult to explain that change without giving away her wonderful secret.

Brennan glanced at her watch: 10:30 AM. She was surprised at the small adrenaline surge she'd experienced in conjunction with her furtive behavior. The anthropologist realized this was due to the thrill of successfully undertaking a small risk, similar to the time she and Booth had run out of the Founding Fathers without paying for dinner. This was also something slightly naughty: she was sneaking into her place of employment later than normal. She had missed two hours of work, but it had been a wonderful two hours.

She placed her duffel bag in the bottom of her small storage closet, pleased with her plan. Her coworkers would assume she was going to karate practice after work and pay no attention to the bag. She'd made sure to pack an extra blouse, underclothes and some toiletries in the bag in case dinner at Booth's apartment ran over into breakfast. "I'm fairly sure I won't need pajamas", she laughed to herself. She knew Booth had plenty of old shirts she could use if she got cold...but she was fairly certain that the evening's entertainment would be more than enough to keep her warm. Brennan smiled at the thought. Anticipation was truly stimulating.

Booth was correct: Angela wouldn't rest until she'd heard every detail of what had happened after she and Hodgins had left the Gala, and Brennan would end up telling more than she really wanted. After quickly checking her email, Brennan headed down to Limbo, hoping to escape the notice of her friends. She'd promised Booth she'd be discreet and on her guard against probing questions, and the best way to do that was to avoid everyone all together.

She started on a bone drawer that contained the remains of an older woman, laying the bones out in order, cataloging injuries and noting all of the minute details on the surface of the bones and joints. Brennan was concentrating so intently on a particular surface nick present on the skeleton's right clavicle that she didn't hear her visitor come in.

"Is this where you've been hiding all morning, Sweetie? It's almost one o'clock. Have you eaten lunch?" Angela walked to the table and looked over the bones. "I'm going to walk down to the ice cream parlor. Do you want to come with me? You know, they use that locally sourced cream from cows that are fed that special diet of organic grain."

Brennan looked up from the clavicle and smiled at her friend. "Actually, Angela, that sounds good. Evidently my piece of toast didn't provide as much nourishment as normal. I seem to be quite hungry." She pulled off her gloves and threw them away. "I'll need to go by my office for my purse."

The friends chatted as they walked to Brennan's office. "Cam was looking for you this morning, Brennan. Did she find you? Something about test results or tox screens, or something like that. I try not to worry about that stuff unless it affects my pictures or computer stuff."

"I came in later than usual this morning, so I haven't seen Cam. I wanted to get some work done in bone storage, so I went down there as soon as I could. I'll talk to Cam when we return." Brennan chewed the inside of the lip, concerned that she might have said too much.

"Why were you late? That's not like you, Sweetie. Aren't you feeling well?" Angela peered into her friend's face, looking for any sign of illness or discomfort.

"No, I'm not ill. I just had a difficult time getting out of bed this morning." She smiled to herself. That wasn't a lie. Booth had made staying in bed all morning seem quite pleasurable.

"Yeah, that happens to me sometimes, too….Whoa...who sent those? They're beautiful!" They had walked into Brennan's office and found a large vase filled with several varieties of daffodils. "Is there a card?"

"Yes, here it is." Brennan read the card and blushed as she put it back into the envelope. "Are you ready to go get ice cream?"

"Do you really think you're going to get away without telling who sent these flowers?" Angela was laughing but it was obvious she wasn't going to budge until she heard everything.

Brennan handed Angela the card. "They're from Greg."

"Greg from the Gala?" Angela read the inscription out loud. 'DEAR TEMPERANCE: THANKS FOR EVERYTHING. LOVE, GREG.' Angela sucked in her breath suddenly. "You mean Greg who's married to Kelly? Why would he send you flowers? Sweetie….you're not using him to make Booth jealous, are you?"

"Of course not, Angela. I did Greg and Kelly a favor and this is how they reciprocated." Brennan picked up her purse. "I'm really quite hungry now. Are you ready to go?"

"Wait...what kind of favor did you do for the guys?" Angela began to suspect there was an untold story that she needed to expose. She had asked a lot of questions about Greg and Kelly on the walk to the ice cream parlor.

"Perhaps it's not correct to call it a favor. I'd rather consider it a late wedding gift. Greg and Kelly had a ceremony in their home in which they acknowledged that they were committed life partners. It was on short notice, and I wanted to attend, but I had to testify in court and I was unable to change the date of my appearance."

"They seem really happy together." Angela smirked as she remembered the evening at the Gala. "It's probably a good thing for Greg that Kelly showed up when he did. I thought Booth was going to break Greg's wrist if he patted your knee one more time."

"I don't know what that means, Angela. Why would Booth care if someone pats my knee?" Brennan frowned slightly as she tried to remember what had happened. Booth hadn't said anything to indicate that he was uncomfortable about Greg being affectionate with her, but knowing Booth as she did, it would be something he'd find particularly irritating.

"Brennan….you know Booth gets jealous if he thinks other guys are paying too much attention to you. He's always been that way, right?" Angela was frustrated. It seemed so obvious to her that Booth was in love with Brennan, and that Brennan was in love with Booth, but they just couldn't figure out how to let each other know what they felt. Angela had often thought of handcuffing them together, or her old standby, locking them in a closet together, until they finally admitted their love for one another.

"But Greg is homosexual, Angela. He wouldn't pose any threat to Booth...if we had that sort of relationship." Brennan desperately wanted to change the subject. She was afraid she was going to give her secret away.

Angela sighed and rolled her eyes. "Well, we didn't know that until we met Kelly. It's not like Greg was walking around with a label on him to that effect. Greg's as much an alpha male as Booth is, right? He's a leader, and he must have a 'take charge' personality if he runs a company that provides security for high profile clients and events. Booth might have felt his status was threatened by your old flame."

"Greg was never a flame or any other sort of combustion reaction for me. When I first met him he made his sexual orientation quite clear. Many of our peers thought we were a couple, but of course that wasn't the case. We've always been close friends. Greg called me after he met Kelly on a trip overseas, and according to what he told me, I guess it was love at first sight."

Angela was trying to get the last of the hot fudge out of her ice cream dish. She casually asked the question that had been on her mind for weeks. "So, Brennan...How's Booth managing since his breakup with Hannah? I noticed he came to the Gala without a date. You really should have called him so you two could've gone together. I think you would've had fun."

Brennan studied her spoon, trying to decide how to phrase her answer. "I believe Booth has overcome the hurt he felt when his relationship with Hannah ended. He came to the Gala without a date because Dr. Byers has moved to Florida."

"Yeah, right. Dr. Byers wasn't ever in the mix. So why didn't Booth ask you?

"I assume he felt like I would be annoyed that he waited until the last minute, especially since I had mentioned the irritation I felt about prospective dates when they called me late to ask if I wanted to go out for Valentine's Day."

"That didn't seem to be much of an issue between you as the evening progressed, Sweetie. I noticed you two were dancing cheek to cheek when Hodgins and I left the Gala."

"Really, Angela, you make it sound like the situation between Booth and me is similar to something that might occur at a high school dance. He didn't say why he didn't ask me to accompany him to the Gala. We decided to dance together and we enjoyed ourselves. Since the situation is past, there's no reason to discuss it any more. It isn't important." Brennan glanced at her watch nervously. "I need to get back to the lab. Are you ready to go?"

"I need to find the restroom first. Be back in a minute." Angela glanced at her friend, wondering why she seemed so anxious.

Brennan's text alert chimed, and she opened a text from Booth.

WORKING FROM HOME. WILL GET THAI FOR DINNER. 6? LUV U.

Brennan responded and hit send as Angela rejoined her.

"Anything important?" Angela noticed the pleased look on Brennan's face.

"Just Booth with some details about a meeting." Another little secret to keep. Brennan decided that protecting small secrets from a friend's prying questions could be quite satisfying.

They stepped out into the bright, cool afternoon, and it was Brennan's turn to ask questions. "Angela, how did you know Hodgins was the right man for you?"

Angela was curious about how they got from a meeting to Hodgins, but she played along. "I just did. It isn't only the sex, although that's great. I guess I realized that how I felt about him was so totally different from how I felt about any other man I'd ever known, and no other man made me feel the same wonderful way he does. He loves me just the way I am, and he makes me understand that I'm the most important person in his life. I guess we just clicked." She laughed as she looked at Brennan. "Not very scientific, I know."

Brennan considered Angela's explanation for a few seconds. "While it's true that physical attraction is based on the release of chemicals in the brain, emotional comfort is much more difficult to explain. However, the way you've explained it makes sense. Greg describes Kelly as the only person with whom he can be truly himself. That comfort with another person seems to be a key component of the emotion."

Angela laughed. "It doesn't sound very romantic when it's described that way, but if you have to explain love, that's probably a big part of it. I guess for me, it's the idea that Hodgins has seen the worst part of me, and it doesn't make any difference to him...he still loves me...and the opposite is true. All those bugs and icky stuff, and he's still the man for me!" She pretended to shudder in horror.

They laughed and talked all the way back to Brennan's office, where Cam rushed to meet them at the door. "Dr. Brennan, you can't come in. Deputy Director Hacker is here with an FBI computer forensics technician. They have a warrant to search your work computer…."


	10. Chapter 10 Assistance

"That goddamn son of a bitch!" Booth raged furiously as he stomped around his apartment, wildly waving his chopsticks and stringing a wide variety of curses together to describe his feelings for Deputy Director Hacker. "What the hell does he think he's doing? He's trying to make you look like shit, Bones! He wants to ruin your reputation because you ended your relationship with him. That vindictive no good bastard! And then he wonders why you don't want to see him any more. I'm gonna kick his skinny goddamn ass all over DC!" He stopped and gripped the kitchen counter, heaving with anger. "Where'd Hacker find a goddamn judge stupid enough to sign that warrant for your work computer? I don't care if that shit for brains idiot Hacker is my boss….I'm damn sure gonna set him straight on how to treat you right!"

Brennan sat serenely across the counter from Booth as he ranted, concentrating on her dinner as she waited for the storm to blow over. She hadn't intended to tell him about the warrant for her work computer, having already vented her ire on Hacker and the unfortunate technician assisting him, but Angela had run to call him when she discovered what was happening. Booth had charged into Brennan's office demanding an explanation and was promptly escorted out of the lab by two museum guards as he employed his extensive hockey swear word vocabulary. It was three hours later, and he was still enraged by what had happened.

Brennan waited for Booth's tirade to ebb a bit before offering an explanation. "Hodgins said that Judge Walton is a conspiracy buff. I'm sure the Deputy Director explained the situation so that it seemed like I'm involved in some sort of criminal conspiracy." She chose her next words carefully. "Your alpha male display was quite impressive, Booth...", Brennan grinned as she winked at him so he'd know she was teasing him, "but really, ….there's nothing to be concerned about…"

Booth was having none of it as he started in again. "I can't believe Cullen went along with this shit. I bet Hacker didn't even say anything to Cullen about it. He could just get a warrant on his own as deputy director. I didn't recognize the name of the prosecutor listed on the warrant. Who knows who that jackass is." He jabbed his chopsticks angrily into the box of Thai food. "And what the hell do you mean there's nothing to be concerned about? Hacker wants to arrest you for criminal conspiracy, dammit!. I have no intention of allowing you to go to prison, Bones….no goddamn way that bastard puts the woman I love in jail for something she didn't do!"

"I mean there's nothing for them to find concerning Greg that will cause a problem for me." Brennan gave Booth a small smile. "There's an email from him asking me who to contact about providing security for Jeffersonian functions, which I forwarded to the office that takes care of those things, along with a personal message to the head of that office from me. There's nothing else about Greg on that computer, and very little from him on my personal laptop, should they choose to serve a warrant for that." She ate another bite of rice. "Greg was always extremely careful about how he contacted me. Occasionally he'd send me a short text, but most of the time it was a handwritten note that I would read and destroy quickly. He's a covert operative, Booth. He knows how to avoid being found out."

Booth nodded. The more he thought about it, the calmer he became. What Bones had said made perfect sense...Greg was too experienced in keeping himself hidden to allow himself to be exposed via electronic communication. "What I don't understand is why now? What happened? You said you hadn't heard from him in years. Why did he contact you again?"

"Greg sent me a letter asking me to meet him in New York City last October. When I met him there, he said he wanted to tell me goodbye...that I would probably never see him again." Brennan brushed a tear from her cheek. "Of course, I was quite upset….we had been close friends for a long time, so I asked him for an explanation."

"Wait...you went to New York last October?" Booth was surprised. "I don't remember that." He usually knew about all of her trips...being overprotective, he always liked to know exactly where she was at all times.

"I went twice in October and twice in November." Brennan averted her eyes from Booth's steady gaze. "I didn't tell you because it wasn't really necessary….and you were otherwise occupied, Booth."

Shit. He'd been occupied with Hannah last October and November. He hadn't even realized Bones had been gone. "Jesus! Bones, you should've told me what was going on. You didn't have to handle this problem alone. I've got experience with special ops guys. I could've helped."

"There was no need for assistance, Booth. I've taken the train the New York many times, and I trusted Greg. When I went to see him the first time in October, Greg told me he needed to tell me goodbye, because he would probably be dead soon. Of course, I wanted an explanation, so I pressed him on it." She sniffled and wiped her eyes, upset by the memory of that conversation. Booth reached over to cover her hand with his, trying to comfort her.

"You don't have to tell me about this, Bones, if it makes you unhappy."

"It's alright. I need to tell you everything." She exhaled slowly to compose herself. "Greg had met Kelly, whose real name is Amir al Ghaheni, while he was on a secret mission in the Middle East. Greg said it was love at first sight. Amir wanted to come to the United States, but his father was a leader in some sort of terrorist group, and he couldn't get a visa."

"That's where Ivan Petrovich comes in?"

Brennan shrugged. "I don't know who that is. Amir was arrested in his own country as someone collaborating with an enemy because of his relationship with Greg, and was facing execution. A mutual friend got the information about Amir's imprisonment to Greg. I guess various negotiations and bribes were offered, but when there seemed to be no alternative, Greg made plans to go there and rescue him. That's why he was telling me goodbye. He would rescue Amir or die trying, and he didn't hold out much hope for his success."

Booth couldn't contain his shock. "Did he think he would just walk into that prison, unlock a door, and leave with Amir, all without a fight? That's crazy. He'd have to shoot up the place….it'd be way too dangerous for one man..."

"He has specialized training to undertake missions of that nature, but there was something else driving him." Brennan spoke softly as she squeezed Booth's hand gently. "Booth, I know you love me. If I was in danger, what would you do?" Her eyes filled with tears. "You'd put your life in danger if you thought there was any chance you could save me. Do you remember me saying that you and Greg are similar? "

She knew him too well. Booth nodded in agreement. "You're right. I would stop at nothing if I thought you were in danger…"

"Greg went on an unsanctioned mission to rescue Amir. Amir was freed, but Greg had to kill several high ranking people in the terrorist organization to accomplish that, and he became a wanted man among them. He has a price on his head. He was able to bring Amir into the US, on a forged passport, as Kelly Jones."

"Ivan Petrovich again." Booth grimaced, wondering what else Bones had gotten herself into. "So that should've been the end of the problem, right? And you don't have to be involved any more? Aren't they safe in the US?" He silently prayed for her to agree with him.

"Members of terrorist organization have been looking for both Greg and Amir in the US, and Greg is afraid they're closing in on them. Again, Booth, Greg is like you. If someone you loved was in danger, what would you do?"

"I'd worry about trying to protect them. I'd try to get them out of harm's way."

"Exactly. Greg and Amir need to disappear. They're planning on moving to some small island in the Caribbean, although he won't tell me which one. He's sold his business, and he'll stop working as a covert operative. They'll leave everything else behind and take on new identities. Perhaps this Petrovich person you've mentioned is going to help them with the new identities as well."

Booth began to pick up the empty Thai boxes. "What will they do for money? Don't they need some financial support? They'll have living expenses no matter where they go."

"That's another reason I've been in contact with Greg…." Bones bit her lip as she looked at Booth, afraid that he'd be angry with her. "I've decided to help him."

"God, Bones...what were you thinking? That could lead the terrorists straight to you!"

"No, that's not what I meant. Booth, do you remember that I gave Angela some money for her input into my books?"

"Yeah, of course. Why?" He stopped what he was doing and watched her intently. He wasn't sure he liked where this conversation was going.

"Well, since Greg was the inspiration for Agent Lister, I decided he was entitled to some money from the books also. He hasn't received any compensation from me, so I had my attorney draw up a contract pertaining to that issue. I'll transfer money into a numbered account of Greg's choosing in the Caymans until the amount specified in the contract is paid. Last Saturday night before the Gala, I gave Greg an envelope with his copy of the contract and a cash advance toward what I owe him."

Booth started to smile as an idea occurred to him. "Bones….do you have a copy of that contract with Greg's signature on it?"

"Of course...it's in my safety deposit box with my other legal papers." She couldn't figure out why Booth was so interested in the contract. "Why? Is it important?"

Booth heaved a sigh of relief. It appeared Cullen was right...there was a simple explanation for what was on the video from the Gala security cameras. "Did Greg know you were on camera when you gave him the envelope?"

"I think so...he said he wanted to record it. He also asked me to pretend to be surprised when I saw him inside, which I thought was strange."

"Yeah, I don't know why he did that. Maybe that was a show for someone else at the Gala...maybe for Petrovich."

Booth moved around the counter to where Brennan was sitting. "I think Hacker is gonna find out that he made a hell of a big mistake, and I want you to be there with me tomorrow when we make him look like a jackass, but we'll need that contract." He grinned as he pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and kissed her cheek. "Things are gonna be just fine. In fact, I think things are gonna be great. So if you're finished with dinner…." He kissed her passionately…."I think I'm ready for some after dinner fun and games." Another kiss. "What do you think?"

She smiled back as she ran her hand down his chest before she kissed him. "I think, Agent Booth, that you are correct in your assessment." She smiled as he pulled her close. "Let the games begin…."


	11. Chapter 11 Worth It

"Bones...you ready to go?" Booth stood at the entrance to his bedroom, watching her brush her hair. "You're looking mighty good this morning, Dr. Brennan." He walked in and embraced her. "All fresh and clean...and you're right. It did save water for us to share the shower."

"However, I'm not sure it saved us much time, since I found your wet, muscular body to be so irresistible." She smiled as she reached up to kiss him. "Then we had to get cleaned up all over again."

He laughed. "Not my fault...The liquid soap was your idea, and I'm not the one who knocked the shampoo bottle over and pulled down the shower curtain while the water was running…"

"It was worth it, wasn't it?" She winked at him and smiled. "The good news, Booth, is that I'm quite relaxed. Taking into account the three orgasms from last night and the two this morning, I find that I'm very content and well-satisfied."

"Are you gonna keep track of ...er...you know…that...how content you are...every day? Do I have a quota to meet?" Booth was well aware of her penchant for statistics.

"No quota...You have nothing to worry about. Do you remember I said it was likely that you could keep me satisfied? So far you've been very, very successful." Brennan reached around to pat his gluteus maximus. "I think tonight you'll be rewarded for your success quite handsomely."

Booth inhaled sharply. "Jeez, Bones...how am I gonna sit through a meeting with Cullen and Hacker with that on my mind?" He grinned and squirmed away as she ran her hands up and down his thighs….he'd sit through today's meeting the same way he had always done before he and Bones were a couple. He'd tolerated many boring meetings by thinking about just how good it would feel to make love to her…."Hey, we gotta go…" He kissed her forehead. "We can't be two hours late today, okay?"

"Okay." She smirked at him as she arched her eyebrow. "Perhaps we can do 'lunch' later."

Christ! This woman was gonna kill him, but he'd die a happy man. "Let's get through our meeting first, and see if we feel like celebrating. C'mon. We gotta go." He shooed her toward the bedroom door before he had a chance to change his mind.

oooooooooo

"Deputy Director Hacker. Come in." Cullen's voice was a low rumble.

Hacker stood in the doorway of the office, unsure of himself. It was difficult to ascertain the identity of Cullen's visitors, and Cullen looked angry.

"Hacker? Now." Cullen eyed the Deputy Director coldly. "Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan would like to have a word with you."

Hacker closed his eyes and sighed. The proverbial shit was getting ready to hit the proverbial fan. "Sir, I can explain everything. I may have been overzealous in my investigation, but with terrorism at an all time high…."

"Can it. Come in." Cullen scowled as Hacker walked in slowly, feeling the angry gaze of Special Agent Booth on his back. "Have a seat."

Cullen looked at a report from a file on his desk. "The computer forensics technician's report says there is nothing suspicious on Dr. Brennan's computer at the Jeffersonian…just one email from a person of interest named in your warrant, and that was to request information about bidding for security contracts for the Jeffersonian. The computer has not been tampered with and all of the drives and hardware are intact and original to the computer."

Hacker stammered. "We haven't looked at her home computer…"

It was Booth's turn to growl. "You're not going to, either…."

Cullen held up his hand to silence Booth. "On what grounds did you manage to get a warrant for the computer anyway? Oh, yeah...crazy old Judge Walton. Did you convince him aliens were involved or some stupid shit like that? And who the hell is this prosecutor? Did he get his law degree online?"

Hacker sputtered angrily. "Director Cullen, we had reason to believe that Dr. Brennan was in contact with a terrorist, and it's the FBI's responsibility to prevent terrorist incursions into our country. I was trying to minimize the risk this man posed to our nation's security."

"Who was this supposed terrorist?" Cullen glared at Hacker.

"Greg Hamilton. He's a covert operator…"

Cullen shook his head as he handed a thick folder to Hacker. "Here's his file." He saw the surprised looks pass over the faces of those sitting opposite from him.. "No, I can't tell you where I got his file, but I've looked through it. He's one of the good guys, Hacker. He works for us and for our allies taking out the enemy. He's a gunslinger, but he's not a terrorist working against the US."

Booth spoke up, using his 'you're so damn busted' interrogator's voice. "But let's say just for fun that Greg Hamilton was a bad guy. Is there any evidence that Dr. Brennan was assisting him in breaking the law?"

Hacker gritted his teeth. "They were friends in college. They've known each other a long time. She might want to help him out somehow."

"But what evidence do you have that she was trying to help him break the law?" Booth leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms across his chest. and put on his best artificial smile. "What was your probable cause for the warrant? Oh yeah, I remember. A fuzzy picture of Dr. Brennan handing an envelope to Hamilton." He pointed to the picture. "That envelope looks pretty ordinary to me." He turned to Bones. "Dr. Brennan, where did you get that envelope?"

"I bought a box of 100 business size envelopes at Priceco last Thursday.", Brennan answered primly.

Booth turned to the Deputy Director. "So, Hacker, it's possible that the Jones guy who you said is paying off the Petrovich guy in this second photo could've gotten his envelope at Priceco, too, right? There's no way to ascertain without a doubt that this is the same envelope Dr. Brennan gave Greg Hamilton simply based on these photographs. The envelopes look similar, but how many envelopes do you think they sell at Priceco every day? Hundreds….thousands? So an ordinary envelope ties Dr. Brennan to Greg Hamilton, but it seems nothing definitely ties her to Kelly Jones, other than they and thousands of other people shop at Priceco."

Hacker was undeterred. "It's what's in the envelope that's important, Booth. I believe Dr. Brennan was providing money for Greg Hamilton to buy forged documents."

Booth locked Hacker in an intense glare for a few seconds before turning to his partner. " Dr. Brennan, would you please show Deputy Director Hacker what was in the envelope?"

Brennan pulled a copy of the contract out of her purse. "Certainly." She smoothed the creases of the paper. "Here it is. Greg Hamilton and I have entered into a business agreement pertaining to the publishing of my novels. The envelope I gave him contained his copy of the contract."

"Prove it!" Hacker was livid. "She could be giving him anything in that envelope! It could be plans for the FBI building or information about biological weapons!"

Cullen pursed his lips. "The burden of proof is on the prosecution, Hacker. You know that. Based on this one photograph, you don't know for sure what Dr. Brennan gave to Greg Hamilton that night. Basically, you've got nothing, especially since what we seem to have here are two law abiding citizens who are not terrorists participating in a perfectly legal business transaction. The way it stands now, it's your word against Dr. Brennan's."

Hacker began to bluster. "Sir….Greg Hamilton associates with terrorists….his life partner's father is a terrorist…."

Booth shrugged and remarked in an even tone, "Hey, I've been associated with you for a long time, Hacker, but that doesn't make me a jackass…."

"That's enough, Booth." Cullen glared at him as he cleared his throat. "The problem, Hacker, is that you don't have an actual photograph of Kelly Jones, or whatever his name is, with Ivan Petrovich. You have a picture of someone's hand and arm. Do you have another picture of Mr. Jones' hand to compare with this picture? Or a picture of his ring? Or a picture of markings on the envelope that would indicate it was the same one Dr. Brennan gave Greg Hamilton?"

Looking through the file again, Cullen shook his head. "This evidence is circumstantial, at best, and I'm sure you don't have enough to take this case to trial. It's possible the situation was illegal, but you just don't have enough proof, unless you can bring these men in for questioning and get them to confess to their crimes."

Hacker grimaced and huffed out a sigh. "We can't locate either one of them. It appears they've left DC but we don't know where they went. We've sent out their information to law enforcement agencies worldwide." Booth gave Brennan a slight sideways glance and caught her slight nod. Greg and Amir were long gone.

Hacker stood up to leave. "If that's all, Director Cullen..."

"Um….There's actually another important issue we all need to discuss, Andrew. Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan are very concerned about your conduct recently because, in their opinion, you've been sexually harassing Dr. Brennan. You know how the Bureau's policy on sexual harassment, right? Zero tolerance." Cullen's serious expression told Hacker this was no joke.

"What? I never…." Hacker looked like he was about to have a stroke.

Brennan handed a file to Cullen. "I've printed copies of email exchanges between Deputy Director Hacker and myself. If you look at the areas I've highlighted on the pages, you can see that I've asked him several times to stop bothering me, but he refuses to do so...he continues to contact me even though I explicitly said I wanted to end our relationship."

"A few of those emails were case related, but I was just being friendly...I didn't want Dr. Brennan to be lonely." Hacker turned to Director Cullen, pleading with Cullen. "Surely a few emails aren't enough to prove that I was harassing Dr. Brennan. I would never do that….."

Booth was unconvinced. "You were going to use a few emails to prove that Dr. Brennan was in contact with a terrorist...why can't she use emails to prove sexual harassment? You can't have it both ways, Hacker…" Booth reached over and clasped hands with Brennan. "And I won't let you treat my girlfriend this way."

"Your girlfriend?" Hacker began blinking nervously. "Seriously, Agent Booth?" Now Hacker was scared. He'd seen an angry Booth and wanted no part of that…."I've never harassed Dr. Brennan…I have nothing but the deepest respect for her, and for you, Booth. Your talents have done wonders for my career. Clearly you're a much better field agent than I ever was…"

"You're correct, Hacker." Booth smirked. "It seems to me you're a lousy investigator, so you do owe your career to me and I am the better agent!"

The argument raged until Director Cullen called them back to order. "Enough. I think we can all agree that Dr. Brennan is not a terrorist and has had no contact with any terrorists that we can prove. As for you, Hacker…" Cullen retrieved a file from his desk drawer, "Dr. Brennan has decided against filing a sexual harassment complaint against you, on one condition."

"Really? Thank you, Dr. Brennan…." Hacker was visibly relieved to see her smiling so sweetly at him.

"Well, Andrew, I didn't want to be responsible for completely ruining your career. Booth gave me a much better idea anyway." Brennan reached over to pat Booth's arm.

Cullen handed Hacker a stack of papers. "Pack your bags, Hacker. You're being transferred to Nome, Alaska….."

oooooooooo

Booth and Brennan walked hand in hand through the lab to her office, laughing and talking, unconcerned about who might see them together. Brennan sat her purse on her desk and shuffled through her papers as Booth stood with his arm around her shoulders.

Angela stopped outside the door of Brennan's office in time to see Brennan put her arms around Booth's neck as he pulled her close for a steamy kiss. Unable to control herself, she shouted, "Thank God! It's about time. You two have been apart way too long. I'm glad you finally got your act together." They both laughed as they heard Angela's enthusiastic exclamation.

Booth smiled as he looked into Brennan's deep blue eyes. "Well, it's lunchtime, Bones, so you know what I'm thinking?"

"Are you hungry, Booth?" Brennan chuckled as she kissed him.

"Yeah, but not for a sandwich. Remember the scene in one of the books where they're in Kathy's office? And they make love like wild animals?"

She grinned slyly. "Didn't you say that was one of your favorites? But this office doesn't have blinds in the windows. That's why I wrote blinds into the story."

"Maybe you should request some...Hey, there's always that storage closet or maybe we can fit on the couch, or try to fit on the desk chair...oh, I know...we can turn off the lights and lay down behind your desk. I bet we can figure something out. By the way, can we lock the door?"

"Booth…." She paused. "Behind the desk isn't a bad idea, but there are a lot of cables back there, and it's a bit cramped. We'll also have to be quieter than we normally are….This office isn't sound proof."

He twitched his eyebrows at her. "You won't be screaming my name when I make love to you passionately? What's the fun in that?"

"I'll just scream for Agent Andy….will that work? Do you know where I can find him, Agent Booth?" She winked as she ran her fingers slowly up his thigh.

He locked the door, turned off the office lights and grinned. "Right here, Bones….right here."

 _A/N: thanks for reading and reviewing my little story...it was fun to write!_


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